Insulator



(No Model.) l 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G, H. WINSLOW.

INSULATOR.

(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheen 2.

G. H. WINSLOW. INSULATOR.

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To all whom it may concern.-

UNITED I STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE H. WINSLOVV, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

INSULATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 524,659, dated August 14, 1894.

Application filed December 8, 1893. Serial No. 493,085. (No model.)

Be it known that I, GEORGE I-I.;W1NsLow, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Insulators, (Case No. 568,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to devices for the support of conductors carrying current, and particularly for vconductors when used with currents of extremely high potential.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an insulator having means for preventing the formation of a continuous conducting ilm of moisture between the point of attachment of the conductor and the point of support of the insulator, which shallbe easily put together and shall be capable of ready separation of parts for the purpose of cleanlng and renovation.

further object of my invention is the provislon of an insulator of this class composed of parts joined by an automatically operating lock or support.

A further object of my invention is to provide an insulator provided with an oil cup which shall be supported by the insulator itself, and not by the supporting pin thereof, insuch a manner as to avoidv weakening of the pin by the use of fastening devices requiring the removal of portions of the body of the pin itself, and thus permit the use of wooden instead of metallic supporting pins.

A further object oi' my invention is the provision of an insulator having an oil cup which is attached thereto by means suficiently elastic to save the voil cup from 'damage due to shocks of all kinds.

A further object of my invention is to supply an insulator having an oil cup supported at isolated points and thus providing a very small cross-section for the leakage of current and accomplishing to a certain extent the dissipation of accidental moisture by the heataa ing of the leakage current itself.

A further object of my invention is the provision of an oil cup insulator so constructed as to give no opportunity for the conduction of current from the body of the oil cup directly to the insulator pin.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure l is a vertical section of an old form sulator. Fig. t is a vertical section of another specific form ofmy invention. Fig. 5 shows a vertical section of still another form. Fig. 6 shows a vertical section of the form shown in Fig. 5 with an additional protecting sleeve. Fig. '7 shows two positions of a wire in process of being made into a spring lock for use with my invention. Fig. 8 shows a portion of a vertical section of my invention illustrating one of its possible modes of co-operation with the spring lock. Fig. 9 shows a portion of a vertical section of Vmy invention illustrating another possible mode of operation. Fig. 10 illustrates a spring lock straightened out and composed of sheet metal. Figs. ll and 12 illustrate diagrammatically the two possible modes of co-operation between the cup and spring lock when the latter is composed of fluted metal. Fig. 13 shows in diagram another form of spring lock, and Fig. 14 shows in diagram a form of rigid lock.

The old form of insulator shown in Fig. l was composed of the supporting pin a, upon which was screwed an insulating head b, to which the conductor was intended to be fastened; which head was provided with upturned under edges in annular form shown at c, designed for the reception of a bath of insulating oil d. The object of this construction was t0 interpose an insulating surface of oil between the two parts of such a watery film as would form upon the surface of the insulator during the rain storms or in a fog.

In Fig. 2 another old form of insulator is shown, where the oil cup c is supported upon the stem of the insulator, for instance, usually by means of a cotter pin f, passing through the body of the support. The object of this construction was to enable the cup t0 be lowered by removal of the cotter pin and its contents to be vreplenished and the insulator to be cleaned.

The obj ections incidental to the use of the form shown in Fig. 2, convenient as that form obviously is, are numerous. The moisture which collects upon the outer surface of the IOO inner petticoat of the insulating portion l) runs down upon the surface of or into the oil CZ and as the film forms on the outer surface ofthe oil cup as upon the insulator al continuous film is soon formed between the conductor and the support of the insulator across the dust and water collected on the top of the oil, thence over the outside of the oll cup and through the cotter pin to the support. It is therefore desirable to supply means whereby the oil cup may be supported from the insulator itsell instead ol from the support thereof.

A further objection incident to the use of the form shown in Fig. 2 is that the Cotter pin necessarily requiring removal of material from the support, renders it necessary where any7 considerable strain is exerted through the conductor to employ iron or other metallic supports, thus greatly lessening the resistance to leakage.

The object ot' my invention is to do away with the use of the cotter pin or other devices tending to remove material from the support, and thus to permit of the use of a large wooden pin, which evidently increases the resistance to leakage. This will further avoid the difficulty incident to the loss of the cotter pin upon the removal of the cup.

A further difficulty, which has been found where the oil cup is placed upon the support of the insulator, is that vibrations of the pole due to climbing up of the lineman or to the effect of high winds subject the oil cup to shocks which sometimes break it and often result in spilling the eil. Furthermore, insects are apt to crawl up between the support and the oil cup and to drop into the oil cup between the support and the insulator body, thus decreasing the resistance of the oil.

By my invention l supply a flexible sup port independent of the insulator support and so placed as to preclude the possibility of the entrance of insects above the oil.

One form of my invention is shown in Fig. 3 wherein the oil cup is shown at c as provided with recurved flanges at its top shown at 7i, cooperating with corresponding fianges on the inside of the insulator body shown at r for the purpose of supporting` the cup through the medium of an elastic lock fr. It will be seen that this form of insulator supplies an inner chamber above the oil which is almost entirely inclosed, and where a solid rubber lock is used, is entirelyinclosed. This greatly lessens the tendency to evaporation of the oil and insures the prevention ot' a watery film.

Various forms of lock may be used for the purpose of supporting and holding in place the cup c, and a number ot these will be described hereinafter. One form of lock may be a stout rubber ring or ring of other solid flexible material placed as shown in the figure. This may be permanently attached either to the insulator or to the cup or may be a separate part attached to neither. It will be seen that the cup is adjusted in place simply by first putting the rubber or other elastic lock in place on the flanges g and then thrusting the cup into place, the lock springing into proper position when this is done. The removal of the cup also implies the mere act of pulling it down and turning the rubber inside ont or swinging` it baekinto the recess over the flanges g. This will be made more clear hereinafter.

lin Fig. et is shown another form of cup wherein the flange his curved in the opposite direction from the oil holding lip c. In this form of insulator the flange g of the insulator proper turns outward and the lock r is as bei'ore held between the flanges g and 7L. This form is preferable to the form shown in Fig. 3 for thereason that water and vapor cannot gather above the lool; i' and tend to form a conducting connection between the inner snrface of the oil cup and the under surface of the insulator and thence to the insulator support. Moreover it is easier to manufacture the form of oil cup shown in Fig. et, as it can be pressed in one operation, and the only change required in the insulator itself after it comes from the press is the curving of the flange g. ln Fig. a flange must also be curved on the oil cup after it is pressed. Again, the ring or lock r is more easily reached in the form shown in Fig. e and can be taken out or put in by hand. Moreover the expansion and contraction ol' glass, where glass is used, are more equal.

ln Fig. 5 the same method ol supporting the oil cup is shown and the outside edge of the insulator proper is employed as a support. This is a modification of the form shown in Fig. 4 inasmuch as the oil cup has oppositely curved flanges.

In Fig. (i is shown an excellent mechanical protection in the form ot' a sleeve having an inturned flange 'y at the top for holdingit in place. This is eminently adapted for use with the form ol cup shown.

It is evident that the exact position ot the flange g on the insulator is immaterial, as it may be as above shown either inside, outside, or between the depending flanges of the insulator which dip into the oil.

The nature of the loch ring fr may be varied almostindefinitely. One form of' lock ring is shown in Fig. 7 in process of construction. In the making of this form of lock, a wire t' is bent into a wave form as shown and its ends then united and either attached together or merely juxtaposed, the whole l'orming a ring, the waves lying in the periphery of a cylinder as indicated in dotted lines upon the right of the figure. l.Vhcn in this position the alternate wave crests are bent in opposite directions out of the periphery so as to form a more or less crown-shaped ligure. This is indicated on the right of Fig. 7 by the dotted lines 7o. The resulting crownshaped ring may then be pushed into place above the supporting flanges g with the open The co-operation ol:

part of the V upward.

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such ring with the supporting flange h on the oil cup is shown in Figs. 8 and 9.

In Fig. 8 the shape of the llange h is such that upon withdrawal of the cup the spring ring lock r is. turned inside out. This is a feasible form and the ring would take its original position when the cup was pushed up again.

In Fig. 9 the shape of the flange h is such that upon pulling down the cup those loops of the wire which make contact with the inside of the cup are thrown back into the space above the flange g and the cup thus allowed to pass out, the loops of wire springing back into place after the cup is removed. n

Another form of ring may be made from a llat strip of springy metal slotted all along one edge and bent intov a circle after having the alternate ends of the strips turned back as in making the wavy wire ring. This is shown in Fig. 10, where the strip is shown before it is bent.

Another form ot' ring may be made by cutting out a circular disk of thin spriiigy metal and iluti'ng its outer edge to such an extent as to bring the upper and inner waves of the liiting up until they form a circle ot' about the same size as the inner edge of the disk; the circle so formed being smaller or larger than the circle formed by the inner edge of the disk, according to whether the ring is to be used in the form shown in Fig. 3 or Fig. 4. This ring would be slotted at one point to permit ot' its being sprung into place.

Figs. l1 and 12 show the co-operation of the cup with the ring` lock where tinted metal disks are used; Fig. 1l showing the form wherein upon withdrawal of the cup the metal is sprung back into the recess over the supporting flange g, and Fig. 12 showing the co-operation of the parts Where itis intended to lock the oil lcup permanently in place.

A much cheaper and equally serviceable ring maybe made of a flat strip iluted transversely and then bent into a ring, which may either be sprung into place or slipped in by hand. This is vshown in Fig. 13.

The use of springy metal or of a springy material is not essential, as even a lead ring may be used, if properly proportioned. This is shown in cross-section in Fig. 14, where the ring o is shown to be simply inserted between the two flanges on the cup and insulator. This form of ring would of course not extend entirely around the cup, but the two ends would project down so as to be reached by the fingers and the ring could be removed by pressing the ends apart and increasing the diameter of the ring. This is not as good a form as the spring lock, as it will not act automatically.

One of the advantages of the use of the springlocks abovedescribed is that they form a series of supporting points for the oil cup, thus increasing the resistance to leakage at such points, and where the leakage is temporarily considerable, the current would heat up the points to a certain extent and thus accelerate the evaporation of the conducting liquids.

Of course this invention is susceptible to many modilications immediately apparent to those skilled in the art, and I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact details herein shown.

1. An insulating body, an oil cup cooperating therewith and means for supporting said oil cup directly from said insulating body, substantially as described.

2. An insulating body, an oil cup cooperating therewith and means for elastically supporting the cup directly from the body, substantially as described.

3. An insulating body and an oil cup cooperating therewith, in combination with an elastic lock arranged to support the cup immediately from the body at a seriesof isolated points.

4. An insulatingbody provided with a recurved llange, an oil cup provided with a flange adapted to cooperate with the'flan'ge on the insulating body, and a locking ring interposed between the flanges on the cup and body for the purpose of supporting the cup, substantially as described.

5. An insulating body provided with a recurved flange, an oil cup provided with a flange adapted to cooperate with the flange on the insulating body and an elastic locking ring interposed between the ilanges on the cup and body for the purpose of supporting the cup, substantially as described.

6. An insulating body provided with an ontwardly turned supporting flange, an oil c up having an oil holding lip and a supporting flange oppositely curved, and an elastic su pporting ring interposed between the supporting flanges on the cup and body, substantially as described. I

7. An insulating body, an oil cup adapted to be attached thereto, and a supporting lock for accomplishing this attachment composed oi` a strip of resilient metal having alternate portions bent in opposite directions.

8. An insulating body, an oil cup adapted to be supported, therefrom, and a resilient lock for accomplishing thissupport composed of a recurved length of wire provided with waves bent alternately in opposite directions in crown form, substantially as described.

9. An insulator composed of a supporting IIO IIS

pin, a concave insulating body supported.

Witnesses:

THos. H. LEGGARD, HECTOR M. REED. 

